Cape Spencer
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
29Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 3 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 415kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 313kJ
- Wind
- SW 20 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 978kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,334kJ
- Wind
- W 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 993kJ
- Wind
- SE 13 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 372kJ
- Wind
- ESE 16 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 147kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 340, poor
- Wed 415, poor
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 836, poor
- Mon 955, fair
- Tue 1047, fair
- Wed 1133, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Cape Spencer does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 725kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 40, poor | 5 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 415kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, poor | 4 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 313kJ | wind from the south-west, 20 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 978kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft10 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.) | 1,334kJ | wind from the west, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 993kJ | wind from the south-east, 13 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 36, poor | 5 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 372kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 16 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 147kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 47, fair | 4 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 385kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 33, poor | 5 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 553kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 17 knots | 21°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:40 +0.4 mLow 21:35 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:07 +0.2 mLow 20:55 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:18 +0.1 mLow 08:03 +0.1 mHigh 12:42 +0.1 mLow 20:11 −0.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Cape Spencer on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Chinamans 3.1 km away
- Pondie 3.8 km away
- Ethels wreck 4.9 km away
- West Cape 7.2 km away
- Richard's Reef 9.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cape Spencer
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (189°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (9°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Marion Bay. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,950–US$3,700 each
about US$1,950–US$3,700 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$985–US$2,040 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$355–US$596 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$234 |
| Total | about US$1,950–US$3,700 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Marion Bay
about 20 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Marion Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Marion Bay, 11 km (about 20 min by car)
About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 31h 10m
About 31h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 2h 50m by road
Flights MDW → ADL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.